Who are Nicobarese?

About Nicobarese:

• “Nicobarese” is a general term used by outsiders to refer to an indigenous community that inhabits much of the Nicobar Islands.
• The Nicobar Islands are part of the larger Andaman and Nicobar archipelago located some 1,200 km off the east coast of India in the Bay of Bengal.
• The Nicobar Island constitute a land mass of 1,841 sq.km, which is about a fourth of the total area of the entire Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. Of the twenty-four islands in the Nicobars, twelve are inhabited.
• The Nicobarese belong to the Southeast Asian cultural complex and speak an Austro-Asiatic language.
• However, they are far from being a homogenous group. The internal diversity among them takes the form of four distinct cultural groups. These are the islands of:
  • Car Nicobar;
  • Chowra (Chaura), Bompoka (Bompooka) and Teressa;
  • Katchal (Katchall), Nancowry, Kamorta (Camorta) and Trinket;
  • Little Nicobar, Kondul, Pulo Milo (Pilomillow), and Great Nicobar.
• According to the 2011 census the indigenous Nicobarese number 23,681. The population is unevenly distributed, with nearly half the population living on Car Nicobar. 
• Largely self-sufficient, the Nicobarese practice a mix of hunting-and-gathering, fishing and raising pigs. 

Q1: Who are Shompens?

They are one of the most isolated tribes on Earth. They are one of the least studied Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) in India. They reside in dense tropical rain forests of the Great Nicobar Island of Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands. Around 95% of the island is covered in rainforest. The Shompen habitat is also an important biological hotspot, and there are two National Parks and one Biosphere Reserve, namely Campbell Bay National Park, Galathea National Park, and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve.

Source: New genetic research points to Austro-Asiatic connection of Nicobarese

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